skilled labor
Americannoun
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labor that requires special training for its satisfactory performance.
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the workers employed in such labor.
Etymology
Origin of skilled labor
First recorded in 1770–80
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But U.S. firms proved reluctant due to the company’s tarnished reputation, in addition to Congo’s poor infrastructure, limited skilled labor, resource nationalism and reputation for government corruption.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
It’s harder to find skilled labor and there is now a lengthy wait list for equipment, said Deysel, a geophysicist and mining engineer who has previously worked at various mines across Africa.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 2026
At the same time, demand for skilled labor remains high.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 7, 2026
That’s as those companies face bottlenecks from lack of contractors, skilled labor, equipment and transmission to deliver power to compute, he said.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 29, 2025
It required no high-priced, skilled labor to build a "soddy," and properly built they were quite comfortable.
From Collection of Nebraska Pioneer Reminiscences by Daughters of the American Revolution. Nebraska
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.